No More Strawberries
by RyterHarpie
Summary: Kyo and Tohru are finally a couple. Yuki has been throwing himself into his work to forget, but can one strange girl finally show him that moving on is stronger than just drifting? YukixOC, A little TohruxKyo.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a big step for me, because I'm a HUGE fruits basket fan. I already did some of my fav. animes, but this one is really special. So I hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I wish I did. I really do, but I don't.**

_Flashback_

_Yuki walked through the house looking for Tohru. He had promised her that he would tell her the next time that he was going to HQ. He decided to check her room. He forgot to knock on the door and entered without a second thought._

"_Miss Honda I…."_

_He stopped and stared at the sight before him. He turned around and stormed out of the room, hating himself for not knocking first. He didn't hear Tohru call for him. He didn't turn back. His worst nightmare had come true. He had seen Tohru and that loathsome cat. He bitterly thought about all the fights that he and Kyo had fought of the years. Kyo had never won one._

'_I guess that cat finally beat me.'_

_End Flashback_

Yuki took hold of his bag and left the school. He had stayed late for a meeting between local school presidents, waiting for one of the representatives to arrive. He never showed though and now Yuki would be walking home in the dark.

"I really don't know why I put myself in these positions."

As soon as he said that he thought back to what Shigure had said that morning.

"_You'll never guess what came in the mail today. It seems that Haru had taken Hana to the lake house for the weekend. Awww….Isn't that sweet? I suppose they needed a romantic weekend. Speaking of romance, why don't you go out and find someone Yuki? I mean Haru has Hana, Kyo has Tohru. It's obvious that you need someone. After all, you don't want to work yourself to death."_

'I really do hate that damn dog sometimes'

Even as he thought this Yuki couldn't deny that he was right. It had been almost an entire year after the time he had seen Tohru and Kyo kissing. It still hurt, but he knew he had to get over it. He sighed.

'Listen to me! I'm agreeing with Shigure. There is no way that this day can get any worse.'

Thunder cracked through the sky, and it started to pour down rain. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

'I was wrong.'

He ran towards any shelter he could find. He spotted a small bus stop with an over hang. He took cover under it and sat down on the bench. He decided to wait until he could catch his breath and dry off a bit. He had only been sitting for a few moments when he heard it, the sound of a girl yelling at the top of her lungs. He looked around and saw an alley not too far away from him. The shadow of four people was displayed on the wall. one of them was defiantly a girl. He rushed to help without even thinking. When he arrived he stopped dead in his tracks. The girl was breathing hard and she was holding on to her arm, but that was nothing compared to the two guys lying on the ground. They were out cold.

'Wait, two. I was sure that I had seen four shadows.'

From no where a huge figure stepped out of the shadows, lumbering towards the girls, what looked like a lead pipe in his hands. There was no way the girl could defend herself against an attack in her condition. Yuki moved fast, before the big thug could bring down his weapon on the girl. Ducked under him and then kicked hard into his stomach. He doubled over in pain, and stumbled back before falling to the ground with a loud thud. Yuki turned around to check on the girl.

"Miss, are you alright. I came to help."

His head almost flew off of his neck as the girl slapped him with as much power as she could muster. She locked two different color eyes onto his violet ones.

"I didn't need your help! I could have handled it."

Yuki didn't talk. He was mesmerized by those eyes, one green and the other blue. He couldn't see any anger in them, only fear and concern. After a minute of staring he blushed at what he must have seemed like.

"I'm sorry. I thought that you might need help. I heard you yelling and I just…"

"Well you were wrong! I don't need you're help!"

She turned to leave, but only took steps before sinking to her knees. He rushed over to her side. She was breathing hard and her face was totally flushed.

"Damn it! I can't be this weak. I have to get home."

She tried to stand again, but this time Yuki put her arm around his shoulder. She started to struggle to pull away from him, but Yuki would not have it.

"I don't know what happened or why you were attacked, but you do need help. If you would please tell me the way to your home, I would be honored to help."

She looked at him with shock written all over her face. He had been as straight forward and polite as he could. There were going to be no Ifs, ands, or buts about this. She sighed and began to give him directions. Making sure that she didn't touch his chest, they started on their way.

**YEA! I hope you liked it. Okay, before there are any haters on the brief inference that Hana and Haru are a couple, please forgive me. It just seemed like the best way to get Haru out of the way, and Haru and Hana are cute together. They have matching indifference faces. So just forget about that before you review, okay? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Yea, I'm going strong on this one. I'm back to bring you the next chapter. I hope you like it because I've been working hard.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Nuff said.**

It took Yuki almost an hour to find the place, and the girl continued to get worse. She lived somewhere on the other side of town. He was a little taken aback when they got to her house. It was a mansion compared to even some of the Soma's finer dwellings. As he walked up the path he noticed that she was leaning on him more and more.

'This is not good. She's defiantly not feeling well, and if I'm not careful I'm sure to transform.'

He tried to block the thought of him turning into a rat while he was trying to help this girl. He just kept moving up the long driveway towards the house. When they finally reached it Yuki stopped. The door had been badly broken. It was almost completely off of its hinges. He half dragged her into the house and laid her on the nearest couch. The girl hardly even moved. Her face was crimson red. He put his hand on her forehead and felt her temperature.

'She's on fire. There's no way I can leave now. With the door bashed in and her fever, it would be like leaving sheep with wolves.'

He sat down beside the couch, not wanting to ruin anything. He was wet, tired, and had no idea what he should do next.

"I really wish I could call Hatori. He is bound to know what to do, even the cat took care of Tohru, but I'm utterly useless when it comes to this sort of thing."

He let his head drop to his hands and was ready to lose himself to self pity if only for a few moments, but it was not to be. He felt something cold touch the top of his head. He turned and saw the girl looking at him. She seemed different though. Was she **_smiling_**?

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have barged in, but you needed to get somewhere warm with a temp….."

He was cut off as a pair of delicate lips came crashing into his. He couldn't move. He was frozen by confusion and shock. She finally pulled back with the same smile on her face. He couldn't believe what he felt now, a strange regret for not returning the kiss.

"My name is Mae."

With that she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Yuki looked at this strange girl. Who

Only moments ago, was ready to tear his head off. She now slept peacefully. He pushed her soaking raven black bangs from her face.

'Something tells me that this girl is going to cause me a world of trouble.'

* * *

The next morning Yuki awoke with no idea where he was. It took him a moment to remember the events of last night. He sat up quickly amazed at how simple he was. He had fallen asleep on the floor. He turned to see how Mae was doing. She was still sleep, but some of the color had faded from her cheeks, and her temperature seemed to have gone down.

"Well that's a relieve. Now I can be sure that you'll be fine."

She turned over in her sleep and opened her eyes with a dazed look on her face. She blinked at him, and then sat ramrod straight. He watched as she blushed uncontrollably.

"I…Um..I'm…I'm sorry, about last night. I just…You saw them, they…and….I'm sorry."

He held back an inappropriate urge to laugh as she stumbled through the apology.

"I understand. You were in distress at the time. Anyone would have been suspicious about someone who just turned up at that moment."

She visually relaxed at hearing this. He smiled at her and stood up. She would defiantly live through this. He started to stretch, but caught himself before he could. She was watching him with those intense strange eyes.

"If you're feeling better, I suppose I should go. I'll stay a while longer until you can call a family member or doctor, if you want me to."

Part of him wanted her to say that he could go, because as it was he was late for school, but somewhere deep inside of him he wanted her to ask him to stay. She looked down and smiled at her lap, before she answered.

"I'd really appreciate it. Thank you. If you could help me up I can call for my family doctor."

He stood up calmly and tried to help her up. Things didn't go as planed. He took hold of her hand and tried to pull gently, but she stood a bit too fast. She stumbled forward and on instinct he tried to catch her. She fell right into his arms. With a large puff of purple, gray smoke he turned into a rat as she watched in horror.

**Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff, and that's way he's called cliff hanger! Sorry it just came to me at that moment. I hoped you like the story, tell me how I'm doing, It is appreciated. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back to bring you more. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own!**

As soon as Yuki hit the ground he started to run, but she reached out and grabbed hold of his tail. She held him in her hands so that he was facing her. Shock and awe present on her face.

"Wh….What…are…you?"

Before Yuki could even answer he changed back. She toppled over because of the sudden extra weight and fell backward. He fell forward on top of her. When the smoke cleared she couldn't help but blush. She was too embarrassed to scream. Yuki got up as soon as he could. He was three shades redder then she was. He reached for his clothes and hide behind them. She sat up and turned around, closing her eyes.

"Who are you? What are you?"

Yuki sighed while putting on his clothes on. This was not going to be easy. How was he going to explain all of this to her? He hated himself for the trouble he was about to put her through. After he was dressed he turned her towards him. He had no idea what was running through his mind, but he didn't want her to lose her memory.

"If I tell you everything, I'm going to have to know I can trust you. Can I trust you?"

She nodded her head. She never let her eyes move away from his. He took a deep breath and began.

"My name is Yuki Sohma. My family is cursed. Every time one of us is hugged by a member of the opposite sex we transform into an animal from the zodiac."

He looked at her, expecting to her to say something, anything. She didn't move away she sat up and continued to look into his eyes. They stayed that way locked in silence. Finally she broke the silence.

"You know, it's not very smart to tell a stranger things like that. What if I betrayed your secret, or was lying and called the cops?"

For a moment he was scared out of his mind. She was right, what was he doing telling this girl he barely even knew his families darkest secret. He was about to sink into despair when he heard her start to laugh. He looked up and saw her smiling at him.

"I made a promise, even if I didn't say it out loud. I won't tell your secret."

He genuinely smiled back. He had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth but he felt that he could trust her.

"Kissing someone you don't know isn't the best thing to do either."

She blushed again and started to shake her head. He tired to hold back a laugh.

"You did save my life. A kiss was the least I could do. Don't you think?"

He reached out a reassuring hand and touched her forehead.

"You're fever's down. You must be feeling better."

"Yes, but school is defiantly out for the day. I'm so sorry about this. How are you going to explain this to your mom and dad?"

"I don't have to worry about explaining it to them, but you're right. I will have to think of something. I can't tell my family about you."

"Why? Are you ashamed of me already?"

He couldn't stifle the chuckle that came up when he saw how serious her face was. He knew she was joking, but answered her anyway.

"No, I could never be ashamed of you, who could? You're beautiful."

He meant it as more then a joke, but smiled anyway. She returned the smile and moved towards him, and stole another kiss. This time he returned it with the same tenderness.

* * *

Yuki arrived home. It had been harder then he thought to explain his absence from school to his homeroom teacher. It was good to be home at least. He could put up with Shigure or even that damn cat. He was just happy to get back to his room and think about the day. Unfortunately that wasn't what he got.

"Yuki, where have you been Shigure and I were so worried!"

Aya run up and tried to hug him, but Yuki landed a solid punch to his right cheek, sending him flying.

"What are you doing here?"

Shigure walked in smugly scolding Yuki.

"Now, Now. You really shouldn't treat you're only brother like that, especially since he was here all night worrying about you. By the way, your principal called earlier today. It seems you were skipping school. What could have been so interesting that you missed an entire day of school? Hmm."

Yuki ignored his comment, opting to go to his room and avoid anything that might give him away. He started up the stairs, but stopped when he saw a leg coming towards him. He dodged Kyo's kick.

"I've got you this time you dirty rat. There's no way in hell I'm going to lose.

'I can't even come back to a quiet home.'

He grabbed hold of Kyo's hair and threw him down the stairs. He continued towards his room, hoping to make it without anymore incident.

"Yuki, you have a visitor."

Yuki let out an exasperated sigh. He turned around and went back to the main room. He would have to wait until another time to get a little rest.

"Hello, I'm sorry to keep you wait…."

He stopped when he saw Mae sitting at the table talking to Tohru. Shigure and Aya didn't wait. They immediately appeared at his side.

"Yuki you shouldn't be so rude. You should introduce us to your friend."

"Ah, young love, reminds you of our younger days doesn't it Shigure."

Aya went down on one knee and kissed her hand.

"You must be the one who is corrupting our young Yuki, but I can see why he would skip to be with you."

He started to laugh, but Yuki sent him flying with another punch.

"Do you always have to act like such an idiot? It's hard to believe that I'm related to you."

While this was going on Tohru continued to speak to Mae.

"Hello, I'm Tohru Honda it's really nice to meet you."

"Oh, I'm sorry I should have said something earlier. My name is Mae, I really don't have a last name."

Yuki turned his attention back to Mae, but still couldn't figure out if all of this was really happening. Here were the only two girls who were not part of his family that knew his secret.

"Uhm Miss Honda could you leave us alone for a moment, I need to speak to Miss Mae alone."

Tohru smiled and left after a brief goodbye. Yuki sat down close to her.

"So this is your family? They're…Interesting, especially your brother. You look like him."

She giggled when she saw the look of irritation on his face.

"You left behind your jacket when you left this afternoon. I thought I should return it."

He took it from her. He was both slightly anxious about her being here, but at the same time he was happy that she had come at all.

"How did you find out where I lived? Shigure's not listed."

"Oh, you're student I.D. was in your pocket. You should be more careful. What if you had lost it? Then how would I be able to find you again."

He started to lean in and kiss her, but she moved away from him. He was more or less disappointed by this thinking that he had done something wrong. She smiled and walked to one of the doors that lead outside. She put a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet.

"No, Yuki we shouldn't. Not here. What if someone heard us?"

He looked at her confused. Maybe she really was insane. She stood close to the door and then kicked it down with all of her strength. He heard a loud boom and lots of screaming. He walked over to look outside and saw the despicable duo lying under the door.

"Eavesdropping is not very gentlemanly. You two should know that at your age. I hope to see you again soon Yuki, maybe somewhere quieter next time."

She kissed his cheek before leaving. He stood stunned, what had he gotten himself into.

**Okay from here this story may take a strange turn. I'm trying to fit more of the main characters from the series in. Tell me what you think. Please sent me a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really enjoying this, I hope you are too! Like I said before I'm trying to get more of the series characters in, so it may get a little weird.**

**Disclaimer: No I don't own it. **

"Thank you for coming Hatori. I'm sorry to have to bother you with these two."

Hatori examined the unconscious Aya and Shigure. Yuki had called him after the little incident with Mae. Hatori had rushed over, and now he was busy trying to untangle the pair of morons. Yuki sat at the living room table thinking about Mae, while Hatori worked.

"Who was the girl that did this?"

"She is a friend. Someone I met while walking home. Why do you ask?"

Hatori shifted so that he was looking at Yuki. Yuki was unaware of a small blush that was on his face. He looked down wondering what was running through his mind.

"Yuki, I realize that things have not gone as you planned with Tohru. Even so, you must remember to be careful. Akito will not permit another outsider to know our secret. If you truly care for this girl you will let her move on. It may seem harsh, but it's the only way to keep her safe. Do you understand?"

Yuki looked down. He couldn't meet Hatori's eyes.

"Please excuse me. I...I have things to do."

He stood up and walked to his room, feeling Hatori watching him as he left.

_

* * *

They lay together in the grass, smiling. It was wonderful to be able to freely smile. He heard thunder above him and looked up. The once blue sky turned a frightening shade of gray. He turned to look at his lover, but she was gone. He stood up and searched for her, hoping to find hear her laughing and teasing him. Instead he heard a blood curling scream. He ran through the endless high grass, hoping to find her. The sight he found brought him to his knees. She lay dying at Akito's feet. He reached out for her, desperately wanting to hold her. He felt a sharp pain as a foot came down on his hand. Akito stood over him, and would not let him get any closer. He called out for her, but she did not respond. He watched as she turned to him at last, tears pouring down her face._

"_Yuki I'm sorry. I couldn't remember."_

_He called out in vain one more time, needing her to hold on, just a little while longer._

"_Mae!"_

Yuki woke up in a cold sweat. The image of Mae burned itself behind his eyes.

'It was only a dream, and nothing more. It didn't really happen, and no one but you knows that she knows your secret. You have to go back to sleep.'

Even though he knew all of this was true he could convince himself that it hadn't meant anything. An ominous feeling consumed him. Something terrible was bound to happen.

* * *

The next morning Yuki barely made it out of bed. He was not looking forward to all of the back work he would have to do at school, but it was his duty as class president to do it. He wasn't ready for the 'pleasant surprise' waiting for him at his arrival.

"Prince Yuki! Are you alright? You were missing and we were sure that that witch Tohru Honda had cast a spell on you. Are you filling well?"

A mob of Prince Yuki fan girls rushed him as soon as he cleared the doors. He politely answered all of their questions and refused their gifts the best he could. By the time he arrived at the student council office he was utterly exhausted. He walked forward only to be greeted by another chorus of Prince Yuki. He sighed, letting his shoulders sag.

"Well, well, well. It seems like I'm not you're only admirer, 'Prince' Yuki."

He turned and smiled at the familiar voice, blushing the moment he heard the nick name escape her lips. Mae leaned in the doorway to the entrance of the office, smiling at him. He walked towards her returning her smile, and took her in his arms.

"What are you doing here? Are you sure that you're well enough to be outside?"

"I'm fine, I missed a meeting here and I'm supposed to apologize to the president that arranged it. You wouldn't happen to know who that is would you?"

He looked at her dumbfounded for a moment and then put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. It was amazing to think that she was the one who had left him waiting the night of their meeting. She smirked, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but he suddenly remembered the fan girls and turned to them.

"I'm sorry ladies but I have official business to attend to, if you could excuse us."

They left looking like a nest of agitated snakes. She waited until he was closing the door to come up and hug him from behind. Making sure that his fan girls saw the action.

"Do I have a reason to be jealous? There isn't anyone else in your life is there Prince Yuki? I think I'd die if you told me I'm not the only one you've told your secret to."

She made a dramatic gesture of putting her hand to her head and pretending to faint. He smiled and once again took her in his arms. Briefly the image of her lying at Akito's feet flashed inside of his mind. He looked down and her and frowned. She gave him a worried look and he immediately smiled to reassure her.

"Are you okay? You seemed bothered by something."

"I'm fine, just a little tired I had a long night. Being with you makes me feel better though. Believe me princess, you have no one to be envious of."

He passionately kissed her to show how true those words were. Not knowing that very soon his worst nightmares would come to light.

**This is the newest chapter. I hope you liked it, because I had to finish it really late. By and By what school do Yuki and the others go to? Keep reading and tell me what you think so far. **


	5. Chapter 5

**First off I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, but I'd like to think Procrastinating Pryo Muffin. I didn't catch that part about the hug until afterwards. Sorry, I goofed. Don't worry, this time I think I got it right.**

She had stopped by the house after the incident with the fan girls. He wasn't expecting it, but was happy to see her. Shigure and the others had gone shopping and they had the house to themselves. He tried to make tea, but that ended like anyone would expect.

"Um…Yuki, should there be this much smoke?"

It took them about twenty minutes to finally put the fire out. After that little disaster had been avoided they had retreated to the small living room. He blushed and tried to let his hair hide his face as he looked down at the ground and apologized to her.

"I'm sorry. I've never been a good cook, but I didn't think…"

He stopped when he heard her laughing. It only made him turn red.

'I can't believe I could burn tea and this badly.'

She lifted his head so that he was facing her, and without any further warning she kissed him. When they finally parted he was not only speechless, but breathless.

"I guess that was a little too forward, I'm…"

He cut her off by gently brushing his lips against hers. He was careful that their chest did not touch.

"Awww….that's sweet. It seems our little Yuki is growing up."

They pulled away abruptly both trying to move to opposite sides of the table as Shigure entered the room. He smiled and continued to smile and act like…well…Shigure.

"You two make an adorable couple. I always knew that Yuki would eventually follow in my footsteps. I hope he was gentle with you."

Yuki took Mae by the hand and after a long warning glare at Shigure he led her outside. They started to walk side by side out under the night sky. Yuki couldn't help the small glances he stole of her, watching her as she looked up at the night sky. This was one of the few times he really wished that he could be anyone else. He wanted to hold her to his chest and let his hand run through her black hair. He was so lost in his thoughts that the sound of her voice breaking the silence made him jump a bit.

"I had fun today, really I did, but next time maybe I should cook, and we'll have to find somewhere a lot quieter. Somewhere we can be alone."

Yuki smiled as he thought of the perfect place, but he remained silent, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her. When they arrived at her house before she went inside he turned her towards him and put his hand up to touch her cheek. She leaned into the touch making him struggle to keep his train of thought.

"I know the perfect place for us to be alone. It would be an honor to take you there."

She smirked at him in an all knowing sort of way. Without hesitation she fluttered her lashes, her eyes looked at him intensely. Two green and blue beautiful orbs stared into his lavender ones.

"I think it would be nice to see the sunrise together don't you."

He nodded without thinking and was immediately sorry for it after the words fully sunk in. She turned around smiling and before she left him outside on the doorstep she called back to him.

"I'll see you Saturday, okay. Then you can take me away, and we can be together to watch the sunrise. Don't be late. I'm counting this as a promise."

* * *

For the first time in his life Yuki was awake before the sunrise. Today was the day that he was going to take Mae to his base. Knowing that he would be able to spend a whole uninterrupted day with her was enough to make him stay awake, but it was tough forcing himself to keep his eyes open as he walked through the streets. He barely had the energy to knock on her door after he got there. She opened the door and looked around for whoever had knocked, but no one was there. She smiled when she looked down and saw the little gray mouse sleeping on the step. She picked him up in her hands and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"Well, if anything else, it's bound to be an interesting day."

**That's it for now. The next chapter is bound to be fluff and pluff, and all that soft downy stuff. So in other words, it's something for all you fans with a sweet tooth. Review and tell me what you think so far.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm proud to bring you the next installment. I hope it's good, I feel a little blah about it. Oh, well enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I did own fruits basket, there would be a lot more eposides dedicated to Haru.**

Yuki woke up, in a room he didn't recognize. He saw his clothes in a neat pile near him.

'Oh, no! Don't tell me I transformed in the street. This is not good, I have to figure out where I am.'

He sat up and grabbed his clothes taking in his surroundings. He was on a futon, but there was a canopy bed beside him. The room was a light red color that wasn't exactly pink. He figured that it was a girl's room, which mortified him even more. He thought about what to do as he pulled on his pants. Someone walked in at that moment.

"Well, I guess we can forget about seeing the sunrise together, but I can forgive you because you're so cute, even as a rat."

Yuki looked at Mae's smiling face and suddenly blushed as he realized something.

"Mae, is…is this your room?"

She nodded and he looked down. Here he was half naked in her room. Even though he was looking down she could see him turn red. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek, he looked up and smiled at her. He pulled her face down to his and captured her lips with his. They both pulled away, and this time she was blushing.

"I think maybe before we do that again you should put on your shirt Yu-chan."

He looked at her amused by the way she looked. It wasn't very often that he was able to see her shaken by anything. He couldn't resist making her blush just a little more.

"Yu-chan?"

She turned around, the red on her face deepening.

"Yes, Yu-chan. Yuki cute. I think it's perfect for you, unless you prefer Prince Yuki."

He shuddered as the image of her as a depraved fangirl crossed his mind. He pushed tge thought away and gave his attention back to her. Without another word they kissed again, this time neither wanted to pull away.

* * *

Yuki helped her walk down the hill to his base. Even though the day didn't start as he had expected he still wanted to spend the day with her at his base. She looked at the vegetable garden and then turned by to Yuki.

"Did you do all of this yourself? It's beautiful, really it is."

"It's not that impressive, and I can't take all of the credit. Miss Honda helped me a lot when I needed it. Especially with the strawberries, though recently they aren't growing as well as they could."

A deep sadness came over him as he thought about Tohru. He had originally planted the strawberries for her after all thinking that it would give him a chance to give her a present, but he had never been given the chance to tell her that he loved her. Mae could almost feel the sadness that was plain on his face. She looked down at the ground, knowing without being told what the problem was.

"Yuki, you were in love with Tohru weren't you?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but he knew that he would have to answer it to confirm what she had already guessed. Yuki didn't let his eyes meet hers. How could he deny that he had had feelings for Tohru, but he couldn't tell the girl who loved him that it would be cruel. They didn't say anything to each other, the silence was like an unwelcome friend. Finally Mae sighed and stood up. She walked over and picked one of the strawberries.

"Did…does she know about your secret?"

Yuki nodded, still refusing to look at her. She walked back to him a strawberry in hand and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't see anything wrong with them. It looks like you put a lot of energy into them."

He made himself look up, and his heart broke at the sight. Even though she was smiling, there were tears forming in her eyes. Without realizing what he was doing he stood up and hugged her. With a puff of purple smoke he changed back into a rat. That was enough to make him even more depressed. He started to say he was sorry, but was stopped when he heard her laughing. She stooped down and picked him up in her hands, still unable to stop giggling.

"I'm sorry Yu-chan, it's just when you are in your rat form looking serious is so sweet. I just had to laugh."

"This wasn't exactly the way I wanted to cheer you up. I should have known better then to do something like that, but seeing you cry made me want to do anything to make you feel better."

She kissed him on the top of his head. As they sat in the sun talking and waiting for Yuki to change back they didn't notice that not too far away they were being watched by interested eyes.

**That's all for now folks. Yes I'm leaving you with a cliff hanger, but I do that almost every chapter. For now this is the last of the fluff and I'm bringing out the scary drama. The next chapter has a bit of a lesson you'll have to read to find out what. Please review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I wanted to post this yesterday, but with the whole birthday thing, and when I finally got on the site was blocked. It's okay because after a little tweaking, I've put a sweet little bit of the love that comes with Valentines Day into it. I mean what better time to write a love story.**

**Disclaimer: Do NOT own…yet.**

Yuki rubbed his temples. It was another Valentines Day which meant that the fan girls were more obsessive than they normally were. It was amazing how hard it was to stay calm as the two hundredth and third girl tried to hug him, kidnap him, or hand him chocolate. He kept a smile on his face in spite of this, because he knew that she would be at the base waiting for him, and he wanted more than anything else to see her face when he gave her his gift. The final bell for the day rang and he hurriedly tried to gather his things and leave, but he was stopped by one of the girls on the student council.

"President Yuki! We have a situation and we need you to come quick!"

Yuki sighed and followed the girl grudgingly. He could only hope that he would still be able to make it to the base before she left.

* * *

Mae arrived at the base a little earlier than she was supposed to. A small heart shaped chocolate cradled under her arm. It had taken her until she had finally gotten the recipe right. In her other hand was a red bag. She smiled to herself thinking about the small object she had shopped for just for him. It would be funny to see how he reacted to the small present. She looked up suddenly. the snapping of twigs told her that someone or something was in the woods near her. She stood and after carefully putting down her bundles she took a defensive stance, whatever it was, it wasn't going to take her down without a fight.

"I know you're there, you can come out now."

She waited as silenced engulfed her, then one by one three girls emerged from the woods. They all had on blue and white school uniforms.

"You're members of the Prince Yuki fan club aren't you?"

One of them, taller than the rest and with brown hair, stepped forward and sneered at her. The other two made fake smiles that made them look like wolves baring their teeth.

"Yes, and as such we must ask you to stop any further interaction with the prince. You are not worth his time. Trash like you brings him down and we can not afford to let you hurt him in anyway."

She didn't let her anger show, but she wanted more than anything to feel her fist slammed against one of their pretty faces. There was no way she would let them get away with saying something like that to her.

"What if I refuse? There's not much you can do to change my mind, and if you're going to fight me you'd better be ready to go home in an ambulance."

"Very well, because it is our duty to protect the prince from evil creatures like you, we have no choice but to resort to violence."

Without warning Mae felt a pair of arms grab hold of her. Without her noticing one of the girls had crept behind her. She struggled and broke free easily and then holding back only a little she pushed off of the girl knocking her down. She held a solid stance in front of the leader and the other girl. The other girl lunged for her, but she rolled away and dodged it at the last second. The leader snatched for her hair, only grabbing hold of a few strands. Mae ran at her smiling, it would be a dream come true to make put down this arrogant witch. Before she knew what was happening she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She only had time to make a small cry of pain before everything went black.

* * *

Haru lay in the grass under the bridge near the school. He was just wasting time until the time was right to head to surprise Hana with a visit. After all he wanted to show her how much he liked the chocolate, even though he knew that she had gotten Tohru to make them for her. He let the sun warm him as he thought about Hana's smiling face and how good if felt to feel her lips against his.

"Stop struggling, you can't break those ropes and no one's going to save you anytime soon."

He sat up and looked down the hill. Not too far away three girls dragged a fourth toward the river. Judging by the way by they were talking they hadn't spotted him yet. They continued to taunt and tease the fourth girl and Haru slowly crept closer so that he could help, listening closely. The tied up girl was trying to reason with them, but he could tell that she already knew that was pointless.

"Why are you doing this? You say you want to protect your 'Prince Yuki' but do any of you really know him well enough for that? And if you do, then why would you hurt him by hurting someone he loves."

He grimaced slightly as he heard the thunder clap of one of the girls slapping the tied one. He started to move quickly he couldn't wait and hope that they came to their senses. He had to help somehow.

"Why you insensitive little girl, we maybe just fan girls to you, but we know more than you give us credit for. We saw you with him in the garden that day. We had found his sacred place by accident and have been going there in secret to catch glances of him. On this particular day we had gone early to surprise the prince, and imagine our surprise to find you there with him. We watched and waited burning with hate, when we saw it happen. You turned him into one of your MINONS! A RAT of all things! Don't worry witch only the four of us know about the spell you placed on Prince Yuki, and after we throw you into the river we'll set Yuki free. Then there will only be three of us who know about what you did."

With that they lifted her and started to swing her towards the river. Even though she struggled it was futile. They tossed her still fighting into the rushing current of the river. Only seconds later Haru came crashing towards them. He dove into the water and swam after her. It would be hard to grab her in the rushing stream, but he had to try. He had to dive three or four times before he found her. It most of his strength to fight against the current and carry her back to shore, where the other three were waiting. It wasn't hard to knock them out, but it was difficult not turning black and seriously hurting them. He untied Mae and used the ropes around her to tie up the three harpie sisters.

'I can't believe that anyone would take something this far. It can't be helped. I'll have to take them back to Shigure's and call Hatori. I just hope that Yuki will forgive me.'

He slung Mae over his shoulder turning himself into the cow in the process. He pulled the other three by the rope behind him and walked towards Shigure's.

* * *

Yuki pushed through the door of the house. He was out of breath and looked totally exhausted, but he didn't stop. When he had arrived at the base an hour late at first he had thought she had gone home, but then he had saw the destroyed chocolate heart and the ripped open bag and the remains of a stuffed toy scattered around. He had stooped down and picked up the head of the doll. It was or had been a rat. He had searched for her everywhere and had even stopped by her house, but she was no where. Now as he rushed into the house to ask Tohru and even Kyo's he couldn't help the rising feeling of dread. He burst into the living room greeted by the questioning faces of Kyo, Tohru, Shigure, and Haru and in the middle of the room was Hatori sitting over the soaking wet unconscious body of Mae.

**First of all I want to say I know that on Valentines Day in Japan girls give chocolate to boys and boys if they're interested give gives to girls in March. See I'm not stupid, but I thought it would be sweet if maybe Yu-Chan couldn't wait. Okay, review. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back boys and girls to bring you another chapter in this on going story. Hope you like because I had a tough time writing it, that's for sure.**

**Disclaimer: No I do not own Fruits Basket.**

Yuki sank to his knees unable to move. He didn't register the presence of the other people in the room. He didn't even hear as Tohru called out to him or feel when Haru shook him to snap him out of it. He didn't care about anything except the barely breathing wet form in front of him. Slowly, very slowly the buzz of voices and the sight before him became too much.

"Mae…Mae I'm so….so…sorry."

He moved forward to touch her, but his way was blocked by Hatori.

He could see his mouth moving, but could hear nothing, until…until he heard her name.

"…Haru brought Mae here before the others could drown her. She was very lucky, as were you. It seems that the other girls didn't reveal your secret to anyone else, though to be save you should avoid the 'Prince Yuki Fan club' as much as possible."

Yuki clenched his fist. Not only at the mention of the crazed girls who had done this, but also because of the question he would have to ask next. He already knew the answer, but he had to ask. He met Hatori's eyes with a mix of undying gratitude and a raging hate. He respected this man for everything he was willing to do for the Sohma family, but if he was right about his answer then he doubted that he could ever forgive him.

"Hatori have you wiped their minds?"

"Yes."

"And what about her? Have you…"

He let his voice falter. It was impossible to finish his sentence, and waiting for the answer was ten times as painful.

"No, she still has her memory, but you do know that Akito will have to know."

That wasn't what he was expecting. In fact it was a thousand times worse. He grabbed hold of Hatori's coat and pulled him close so that they were face to face.

"Why does he have to know anything? Any and everything he becomes involved in gets someone hurt."

He felt Tohru put her hands on his arm and try to calm him. He simple shrugged it off. Not even bothering to look at her.

"Yuki don't. If it wasn't for Hatori she could have been hurt. Please, you have to understand that he has to do this."

He could hear the tears in her voice but even her pleads fell on deaf ears. Kyo moved and put his arm on her shoulder, careful that their chest didn't touch.

"Don't waste your time on him; he doesn't care about anything, not even her. He's just mad that for once the great Yuki made a mistake. Isn't that right rat boy"

Yuki let go of Hatori and turned to face Kyo. He was in no mood to put up with anything the cat had to say.

"Be quiet."

"No. You know what I'm saying is true. If you had cared about her you would have been a lot more careful. Instead you were caught out in the open. Hatori is being cruel by letting her remember you."

No one saw the punch connect with Kyo's flesh, but they saw as he fly across the room. There was blood dripping from Yuki's fist. He ran out of the room into the night. He couldn't hide behind his hurt or his fear for her anymore.

'It's my fault. I did this to her. She almost died because of….of….Me.'

* * *

Yuki ran into the forest arriving at a small spring somewhere miles from the house. Breathing hard he looked into the water at his reflection. The monster he saw disgusted him more than the cat's true form ever could. Kyo had been mostly right about what he had said, but not completely. Yuki did care for Mae. He loved her. He loved her with everything he had. That's why he could never hide from the truth. He had caused this. By brining Mae to his base, by bringing Mae into his life, he was even more to blame then the fan girls. The nightmare he had had the day he had taken Mae to his base kept flashing before his eyes, but this time she lay dieing at his feet.

"I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted anything to happen to her. I thought that we could…That we were…I'm sorry."

He put his head into his hands and let his sorrows wash over him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the last voice he ever wanted to hear.

"Yuki, have you finally learned your lesson? Does this heartache prove to you what you should have known all along? We members of the Zodiac should not seek outsiders. They bring nothing but trouble, Hatori can attest to that. Don't worry though. You will not be the last. Kyo and Haru will also feel this pain when their infatuation with those other two wears thin."

Yuki was unable to move. Weather it was from fear or if it was because having him here at a time like this was too much he would never know. He made no move to get away from Akito, but quickly shoved his hand away from his shoulder. Akito let his smile be replaced by a sneer, but only for a split second before it returned.

"For your own good I have taken care of your nuisance. She will no longer bother you."

He looked at him with his eyes wide. Akito's smile spoke volumes, and something inside of Yuki's stomach went cold. He ran back to the house, almost tripping on the underbrush and shrubs. He had failed her once but never again, and never to a monster like Akito.

"Mae, hold on."

**Yeah, I know short right. Well the next chapters going to be a lot longer and unfortunately a whole lot sadder, but you know what they say. It's always darkest before the dawn. Of course you won't know if that's true until the end. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Yes, it's Ryter here to bring you another chapter. This one is going out especially to asira rimacka. I'm currently reading one of her stories Furuba Tastic and it's really good. Anyway, I'd better get to the story.**

**_Disclaimer: Don't own._**

Yuki sat beside her futon, her hand held tightly in his. Akito had done nothing yet, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't. Yuki looked at her with longing eyes and kissed her sleeping forehead gently. He knew what he had to do to protector but he'd be damned if he'd like doing it. For what he felt would be the last time, he ran his hand through her crimson hair and waited for her to wake up.

* * *

When Mae first opened her eyes she thought that she was alone in the room, but from the corner of her eye she saw someone moving. Yuki stepped forward from the shadows with a somber look on his face that she took no notice, just glad to see him.

"Are you really Yu-chan? Or have I died and been sent an angel to escort me to the afterlife?"

When he didn't laugh at this or even smile she took more of a notice to his somber look. She sat up and reached for him, but he moved away from her with a look of…of…disgust? She pulled her hand back slightly shaken.

'No! Yu-chan would never be that way, especially not to me!'

"Yu-chan…"

He glared at her with hatred so fierce that she cringed.

"Please don't call me that again."

Even though the words were said a polite way, the tone was cold and completely heartless.

"Yu-ch…Yuki. What's the matter? Did those girls threaten you? What's wrong?"

He put his hands on his temples and looked away from her. She would never know how much this would hurt him.

"Don't worry my secret is save now. They didn't threaten me at all Mae but it came very close, and you almost died for nothing."

"No, never nothing, if it was for you, it will never be for nothing."

For an instant after she had said that he wasn't sure if he could go through with it, but it was only for an instant.

"But then it really would be for nothing. When you were brought in along with those others I couldn't help but see you as another obsessed fan girl, and that's all you are, a fan girl. It took this, putting my family in danger, to make me realize that you're not what I wanted. You never were. You were just someone there to ease the pain of losing Tohru. I think, as soon as you're able to, you should leave."

She stared at Yuki, No not Yuki, this cruel cold person who looked like her Yu-chan. She felt tears that she refused to let come brimming at the corners of her eyes. Her throat was closed by a small boulder, but she managed to speak in an almost inaudible whisper.

"You can't mean that Yuki. You just can't! Yuki, you saved my life and I would do anything for you! Yuki, I love you."

He met her eyes. On the outside he kept up his frosty exterior, but on the inside he felt like screaming that none of it was true. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her repeatedly that he loved her.

Instead he turned and walked away. He didn't look back, but he heard her getting to her feet to follow him. Tohru and Kyo came down the hall towards him, Tohru slightly in the lead. They must have heard the commotion and come to see what was wrong, because she looked slightly worried.

"Yuki is everything al…"

Without thinking he pulled her head to his and crashed her lips against his. He could feel her eyes widen and heard a small gasp as the foot steps from the living room stopped. He felt the full force of Kyo's fist as it sent him staggering away from Tohru. Kyo grabbed hold of his shirt and brought him close to his snarling face.

"What the hell was that?! I'm going to smash your damn face in you stupid rat!"

Yuki didn't hear him. He turned his head towards Mae. She stood stock still in the open doorway. The tears she was holding back finally breaking through. He tried in vain to hold back the look of total and utter sadness and horror at what he had just done. Mae couldn't dare to look at him at that moment. She turned and ran at the sliding screen door. She pushed it back and ran out into the night. Heart racing and tears running down her face, all she could do was run. She tripped on a rock and it scrapped up her knee drawing blood. It hurt a lot, but not as much as the things that Yuki had said. She clenched her fist and hit the ground repeatedly in frustration.

"I hate him. I hate him! I HATE HIM!"

She let herself fall apart there and then. She didn't hear his footsteps as he approached, but she did feel as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Are you hurt? I could help you if you'd like."

She looked up at him. His black hair blew in the breeze, strangely reminding her of Yuki. He offered his hand and she took it forcing a smile.

"Thank-you…um…"

"Akito, and don't worry. The pleasure is all mine."

* * *

Yuki sat and listened to the cat yelling his head off for all of two minutes. He felt like pond scum. Not only had he broken the heart of the girl he loved, but he had also forced a kiss on Tohru. He felt the deep rift in his heart begin to open and he doubled over in agony. He had felt it before of course, many times before. He had felt it every time he had been left to Akito's mercy, and the night he had first saw Tohru kissing kyo, but it had never hurt him like this. The pain was more than emotional, it was physical. He began to talk to himself, trying to reason with the pain he felt.

"What could I do? If I hadn't pushed her away, than who knows what Akito would have done to her and I would never let her memories be tampered with. She almost died protecting my secret. She earned the right to keep all of the memories we've had together. I did the right thing."

He started to cry. Not from the pain in his heart, but from the fact that he knew she would never know the truth. That she would probably hate him for the rest of her life, while he would never be able to love anyone else. He had knowingly destroyed her heart, but she had unwittingly stolen his.

'I deserve this torment and would gladly take much more. As long as she is save. As long as she's save.'

He had no way of knowing that at that moment she was about to endure a fate that he had tried so hard to prevent.

**Sooooo…..Yeah that's it for now. Told you it got bad, and this and even near the big climax yet, which can only mean one thing. That Akito's going to do something wicked. (Insert lightning, thunder, and maniacal laughter here.) Okay. Review and tell me what you thought. It might motivate me to update sooner!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay let's recap. Mae is currently, and unknowingly, in the clutches of Akito. Yuki, blaming himself for the actions of his insane fangirls, pretty much broke her and his heart so that he could keep her safe, not aware that he would be pushing her right into harm's way. Get it. Got it? Good. Now, on with the story.**

_**Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Oh, and Mae. She's all mine.**_

Yuki sat on his bed looking out of the window. The sun was slowly rising and for once he could not even think of sleep. It had been two days, two whole agonizing days, since the Valentine's Day incident. He did not care that he hadn't been to school or left his room, He didn't even care about the constant stream of concerned people who paraded through his room. He only cared about, only thought about, her. On more than one occasion he had wanted to call her and apologize, to beg her for forgiveness, but how could he? Even if he could find a way to keep her safe, why would she for give him?

'She never deserved anything I put her through. I never deserved her. I don't care how selfish it maybe, I just hope that she'll hold on to me in her memories like I will with her.'

He heard the door open, but paid no attention to it. Tohru sat down beside him, and put her hand on his. He had explained to her what had happened the night before, and being Tohru, she had forgiven him. Now, however, she was worried about his well being. He barely ate or slept anymore and they were seeing him less and less. She was worried that he would completely fall into despair. Unlike last time though, she didn't think he would be able to come back from it. Mae had been more than just a crush and even more than a girlfriend. She was his world, his universe, his goddess, a love that ran to the depths of his very soul. He had needed her, still needed her. Now Tohru just had to convince him of that.

"Yuki, dinner's ready. You should come and eat something."

"Thank-you Miss Honda, but I'm not hungry. Maybe later though."

She sighed slightly and let her gaze drift in the direction of the window he was looking out.

"You should go to her."

He turned to her. Something had finally gotten his attention.

'He was probably thinking the same thing.'

"Yuki, anyone could see that you miss her and you know how she feels about you. If you two truly love each other, then you should be together."

"But how can I do that to her? She was threatened twice and it was both times were because of me. You know that Akito will not hold back. He controls this family and what he could have done to her at his whim."

Tohru met his lavender eyes with her blue ones. They looked as if they were pleading with her to tell him that he was wrong, to tell him that he could still keep her and protect her. She smiled reassuringly and patted his hands.

"You are one of smartest and kindest individuals that I have ever met. Every since I've known you, you've always thought things through so that the people you cared about wouldn't be hurt, and that's why I can tell you this. Yuki, you can't protect people by pushing them away. If she didn't love you, if she thought it would be safer without you then she would have moved on the first night she learned your secret. Obviously she thought you were worth the burden of your secret. And since you told her, you must have thought she was worth the danger of being discovered. There is no question that there is danger involved, but the new question is…Do you still think she is worth it? Do you still think she is worth the pain you might feel if you lose her?"

For a moment the room was completely quiet. Yuki looked as if he had been slapped in the face. He had never thought of it like that. It was true that he had only had her best interest in mind, but now he wondered if he hadn't done it partially to protect himself. Tohru started to fidget slightly from the intense silence.

"I'm sorry Yuki. I shouldn't have been so forward. I shouldn't have gotten involved."

Yuki smiled at her reaction and knew what he should do. It had been in front of him the entire time, but it had taken Tohru to show it to him.

"Thank-you, Miss Honda. You have no reason to apologize."

He stood up and started down the hallway.

* * *

Mae groaned as she opened her heavy eyes. How long had she been out? She had no idea. All she remembered was that after leaving Yuki's she had met the boy named Akito. He had offered to take her out for dinner. At first she had refused, but as the night ran on she had grown hungry and had finally broken down and agreed. He had taken her to a somewhat fancy restaurant. He had bought her a sushi plate and some kind of concoction that made her head swim. She had maybe downed four or five before she had felt her eyes getting heavy. He had said something, but she couldn't hear it. Her vision had gone white and the only image she saw was Yu-chan, her Yu-chan, from before. Her head throbbed and she could barely push back the bile that was fighting tooth and nail to come up her throat. 

"Wh…Where am I?"

"You shouldn't worry yourself with such details. They will soon be irrelevant."

She knew the voice, even if she couldn't see him. It was Akito from the night before.

"Mae, is your name correct? Yuki's little toy if I'm not mistaking. It seems that he tried very hard to keep you away from him, but judging by the look on your face he didn't wipe your memory like with those other simple minded creatures, though I can see why. You are a bit different. Stronger and very beautiful, but that does not change the fact that you are an outsider and for that you will be punished. And so will you're….Yu-chan."

She could hear his smirk and mentally grimaced at it. She felt him ran a hand through her hair and wanted to push it away from her, but she couldn't move her hands. She was tied to something. She pulled to get free from her restraints with no success.

"What did you do to me you sick bastard?!"

"Nothing, yet, but don't worry you will find out soon enough."

"Who are you? Why would you do this to me?"

"I am the head of the Sohma family. Akito Sohma, and you, you deserve this for becoming involved in something that you were never meant to know."

**I wanted to post this yesterday, but this error page kept coming up. Did that happen to anybody else? Whatever, better late than never right? There are only a few more chapters left. So keep reading and please review and tell me if it was worth the wait.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yo people! I'm updating as fast as my little fingers can type. I hope you appreciate the fight I have to have just to get close to this computer, and I hope you like the story.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruitsbasket._**

Mae could no longer feel the pain that Akito had caused, but she could stil feel his touch on her body. Though he had left hours ago, she still feel the deep, numbing cold of fear when she thought of him. She had been freed from her restraints long ago, but could not move from her position on the concrete floor of the small room. She turned her head and retched on the floor, and as she moved her body the pain came back with a sudden intensity. She cried out into the darkness. Hurt both physically and emotionally, she allowed her mind to seek out happier thoughts, hoping for a rest from the pain she felt. A mental image of Yuki came to her mind. Mae leaned in to kiss him, and the phantasim disappeared. With a shaking voice she called out to the vanished mirage.

"Yuki, come back. I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry."

She allowed herself to succumb to the sadness inside her, and she finally allowed her tears to come.

* * *

Yuki ran through the streets. His heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. He would finally set things right. It had only been a few days since that awful event, but it had burned a hole deep with in his chest. Even if she did forgive him, he would forever ask what heavenly being found him worthy of such a gift. If she did not, which was what he deserved after the harsh way he had treated her, then he would never bother her again. He would never forget about her, but he would not continue to destroy her life. He arrived at her door and stoppped. It was as wide open as it had been on the day they had first met. His heart was still pounding hard and fast, but this time for an entirely different reason. He walked in slowly, a thousand thoughts running through his mind, and none of them good.

"Mae. Mae!"

The only answer he got was that of silence. He ventured further into the house and walked into the living room, and found someone sitting on a chair in the dark. At first he though that it was her and rushed over, but stood still only a few feet away from the figure. It was not Mae.

"You look disappointed, **_Yu-chan_**. Were you expecting someone else? Maybe your little taboo."

Akito smiled as he saw Yuki's eyes widen. He was sure that it would do Yuki good to be punsihed for letting not one, but two people know about the Sohma families buisness, without his permission. Yuki was in shock, his brain wasn't working fast enough to grasp why Akito would be in Mae's house. It seemed totally improbable to him.

'Maybe, I'm dreaming. Maybe this is another nightmare. Please let this be a nightmare.'

Akito walked over to him and touched Yuki's shoulder. He shivered involuntarily in disgust at the contact. The disgust he felt was enough to snap the world back into focus. He brushed off Akito's hand and looked at him with eyes filled with hatred. Even so his voice remained even and calm as he spoke.

"Where is Mae? What have you done with her?"

The smile left Akito's face as he saw that Yuki would not let his anger show, only to return seconds later.

"Don't worry Yuki. I've shown her only the kindness that she deserves."

Yuki grabbed hold of his shirt and held him off of the ground into the air and again asked his question, but this time he was almost growling as he spoke.

"I will only ask you once more. WHERE. IS. SHE."

Akito's smile dropped once and for all. This time he was scowling at Yuki with a venom to match his.

"You have no idea what you're doing! I am the head of your family and if you think that this is the best way to get your filthy slut back, then continue this stupidity. If not, I suggest you put me down. Now Yuki."

Yuki put Akito down gently on the floor. Finding Mae was more important than getting bay back for old grudges he held against Akito. Akito bared his teeth and snarled. He would be sure that Yuki would pay for this, and so would that bitch, Mae.

* * *

Yuki followed Akito. They had taken a cab to the Sohma lake house, where he hoped to find Mae. The lake house looked different from the time he had once came here with Tohru and the cat. It looked more sinister and dark. As if it were holding back some deadly secret. They entered and walked through the house and down a set of stairs to an empty basement. At the back of the basement was a small room cut off from the rest of the house. Silently Akito opened the door and allowed Yuki to enter alone. He walked in, not sure what to expect. In the corner of his eye he saw something move in the darkness. He took a step back, but when he heard the soft crying he knew it had to be Mae. He ran to her and ran his hand through her hair. She was shivering uncontrollably. He felt the urge to take her into his arms and hold her tightly, but he couldn't. Not without turning into a rat. Instead he had to settle for just being near her as she cried. He moved to stroke her hair again, but this time she was more awake and aware of his prescence. She screamed at him and pushed him away.

"No! Get away from me! Don't touch me! Please don't touch me!"

She forced herself into a corner and looked at him with nothing but fear in her bi-color eyes. It burned his very soul to see that fear directed at him. He turned and threw himself at Akito.

"What did you do to her, you monster? What the hell did you do?!"

Akito hit him hard, reminding him of the fear he had had for Akito in his youth. Akito's face now really had taken on the look of a monster.

"I've done nothing but protect this family from the danger you put us in! If you think that I've done something wrong, think again! It was you who allowed her to know the secret, allowed her to get close! haven't you learned your lesson yet Yuki? No matter what you do, you always bring pain and suffering to those the cursed come into contact with."

Yuki looked back and Mae and sank to his knees. Somewhere inside of himself he had known all of this all along. He had even blamed himself for what had happened to Mae, what was happening to Mae now. He was the cause of her pain all of it.

"Yuki. You know what you have to do in order to save what little is left of her mind. Let her forget and maybe in time your family will forgive you."

Yuki looked at Mae, still wanting nothing more in the world than to just hold her, even for a few seconds. She still looked at him with fear and worry. He let his head drop in shame. It pained him to admit it, but Akito was right.

"Mae, I loved you. You may never be able to remember that, but I loved you and I will forever more."

He looked back at Akito and was ready to tell him to call Hatori, but a voice from behind him caught him and Akito off guard with only one word.

"Yu-chan."

* * *

Mae had been awoken, as if from a nightmare, when she had heard Yuki call her name. Her head was cleared by it. All of the spiders and hideous creatures that her mind had produced after being tormented by Akito had cleared. Now all she cared about was having Yuki next to her. She tried to sit up, reach out to him, but fell forward as pain once more resonated through her body. For only a second she felt warm arms wrap themselves around her, and then there was a poof of smoke. Yuki sat on her head, sad eyed and looking ready to cry. She made herself smile and reached out for the little rat, but then screamed in pain as she felt Akito's food come down hard on her hand. Mae saw Yuki bite his leg, but Akito kicked him away. Yuki's small body went flying into the wall with a soft thud. With another puff of smoke he changed back. He was unconcious and barely breathing, but he was still alive. Akito turned towards him with that beast-like look upon his face. He advanced towards Yuki and Mae was unsure of what to do. With the last of her strength she stood, and did the only thing she knew to do in this situation. She brought her fist back and slammed it into Akito's face. The sound of her fist connecting to his face was sickening, but she had no idea if he was going to fall or not. She would not know. She once more fell, hitting the hard floor once more before the world disappeared from her vision.

**Whew! I'm not sure if I got Akito right. I'm sure I got his sick and twisted nature pretty good, but I'm not sure about how totally in character he was. Oh, well. I hope you all liked it. I'll be updating again probably tomorrow. The next chapter is, you guessed it, the end. Review and tell me if you liked it, or I want know if the ending is important enough to finish. Just kidding, but seriously Review. I need the ego buster.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright. We've been through a lot together, but this is it. The grand Finale. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you didn't, well why did you read all the way through?**

**_Disclaimer: I do own this story, just not all of the characters or anything associated with FruitsBasket_**

**Ten Years Later**

Yuki sat down on the ground exhausted. He had been working in his garden for hours now. He looked at the rose bush that he had planted to replace the strawberries that he had given up on growing. He looked at the beautiful white roses of the bush and thought of the person he had planted them for.

'Mae.'

Even thinking her name brought back meomries of what had happened on that dreadful day ten years ago. He clenched his fist and closed his eyes as everything that had happened after that night flashed into his mind.

* * *

Yuki was awoken by the sunlight coming in from a nearby window. He turned his body away from it, only to fell the stab of a sharp pain travelling through his spine. He sat up and tried to force his mind to focus. He wondered if what he had witnessed last night really had been a dream, but the pain that was in his body told him it wasn't. He looked around the room hoping to find Mae there, but this was an entirely different room. He was back at Shigure's. He stood up and went towards the door across the room.

'Mae. She has to be alright. She just has to!'

not bothering to look before he practically ran through it. He hit something hard and fell back. The sound of cups breaking as they hit the ground made Yuki look up. Haru looked at him with his usual glazed over eyes. Yuki was a little confused by the sudden appearance of the cow, but still took the hand he offered to him.

"It's good to see you awake Yuki. We were all really worried about you. Hatori said that you maybe out a lot longer than you were. Two of your ribs were broken and they probable hurt like hell."

"Haru, where's Mae? Is she hurt?"

Haru turned to him smiled, but it was a bit sad. Yuki's mind turned over so many thoughts in that moment, and none of them were good.

"You know she saved both of you, don't you? She held off Akito for just long enough for the rest of us to find you. She really was brave."

"Is she alright? Has Hatori...Has he..."

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Without realizing it, Yuki and Haru had walked down the hall to a guest room. Yuki turned towards the sliding door and slide it back.

Mae turned her attention from the window she was gazing out of to look at her visitor. When she saw it was Yuki she smiled. Yuki crossed the room and took both of her hands into his. She was covered in bruises. He grimaced at a particularly bad one that covered her right shoulder. Yuki lifted his eyes towards her so that his lavender ones looked right into her blue and green ones.

"Mae..."

She moved one of her hands from his grasp and put a finger to his lips to silence him. Then she allowed her face to become serious.

"Yuki...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you or your family in any danger. I just...Just wanted to be with you. I...I..."

She looked down and her black hair covered her eyes. Tears ran down her face and landed on Yuki's hands. Yuki could no longer take it. He pulled her to his chest and held her as tight as he could, before he transformed. She looked at his frazzled and upset expression and her eyes went wide. He thought for a moment that she would cry again, but instead she began to laugh. For some reason he would never know he began to laugh with her. When the laughter subsided and they finally were able to compose themselves Yuki once more became serious.

"Mae. You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who couldn't see that we should be together no matter what anyone has to say about it. I should have known before I told you that there would be danger, but I wasn't thinking. I suppose that's what love will do to you."

She smiled with unbridled happiness. She picked him up in her hands.

"Yuki, do you really mean that? Do you really..."

Hatori walked in then, not daring to look up. Mae turned towards him, thinking he had only come to check on her again, but Yuki knew better. He could tell by the look on Hatori's face what he had come for. He blocked her from Hatori. He would not have come this far, earned her love, and dragged her thorough heaven and hell, just to have her mind wiped. He would be sooner killed than let that happen. Hatori knew what Yuki was thinking and simply pulled a chair from the corner and sat.

"I understand how you feel Yuki, and as much as I don't want to do this, I may have to. You know that regularly I woulnd't go against Akito's orders, but she is different. She showed us all how strong she could be. She should be able to chose what she wants."

He turned to Mae and softened as he spoke to her.

"Mae, you have a choice to make. There is a way that we can change your memory, destroy all of what has happened to you, but in the process you will forget about the entire Sohma family. Our you can keep your memory. However if you do this, Akito might attack you again someday. This is your choice Mae. What do you wish to do?"

* * *

Now as Yuki thought of everything. For the tenth thousandth time he wondered if he let her make the right decision. Someone put their hands on his shoulders from behind him. He half turned and smiled at her. Mae sat beside Yuki in the grass. She put his hand on top of her stomach. He felt a little kick and Mae smiled at him.

"Your son is being fiesty today. He won't stop moving."

"I think he gets that from his mother."

She softly nudged her husband. It still made her giggle a bit even though they had been married for a little over four years. She had decided to keep her memories, come what may, she would never leave his side. He made the exact same vow. She leaned in close and tried to kiss him softly, but Yuki had tried to kiss her at the same time and they missed each other's lips by a few inches. She leaned in to far and her chest bumped into his. There was a poof and he transformed. That same angry expression on his face that made him look so cute sometimes. She kissed the top of his head and then laughed they laughed together, like they would for many years to come.

'Yes, this was the perfect choice.'

**Yeah, I went with my strength. Happy ending and all. I bet you thought I would do something awful to Mae or Yuki. Well, I'm an overly happy person, and a happy ending is always for the best. Tell me what you thought of the story. Go. Go. Go! Review people!**


End file.
